From Warapana to Parliament – Dr Tandika Smith ready to represent youth, voiceless

Celebrating Amerindian Heritage Month…

By Lakhram Bhagirat

Warapana, located in the Upper Pomeroon River, is noted for its pristine beauty, serene watery trails and freshwater springs. But now it can boast of another major accomplishment – and that is representation in the Legislature.

The quiet Region Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam) village would see Yvonne Hendricks and the late Alex Smith’s daughter, Dr Tandika Smith, occupying one of the important seats in the 65-seat National Assembly when the 12th Parliament convenes on Tuesday.
The 32-year-old single mother has been named as the People’s Progressive Party/Civic’s (PPP/C) Geographical Representative for Region Three (Essequibo Islands-West Demerara) since she has been residing at Tuschen, East Bank Essequibo, for the last five years.
While she has been named as the Geographical Representative for a specific region, Dr Smith is ready to serve all of Guyana and plans to bring her experience working in the public sector to shape the policies to benefit the advancement of all.
The first-time parliamentarian is the eldest of her parents’ four children and remembers her life in Warapana village as one filled with beautiful memories. Her father, like many others in the village, sustained them through logging as well as farming. Hence the reason Dr Smith can now boast of her extensive knowledge of farming.
Life, for her, has not been without challenges as she explained that the task of getting to school required her paddling three miles from her home. Nevertheless, education has always been her priority and when she sat the then Common Entrance Examinations and gained a place at Christ Church Secondary in Georgetown, her family did not hold her back.
She was granted a Hinterland Development Scholarship to pursue her secondary education and moved to the city to live with relatives while she completed her education. When she moved to the city, she was culture-shocked but quickly adjusted to life beyond her small village.

“Leaving my home was very hard. I lived with relatives when I came to Georgetown for school. My days in secondary school was a great learning experience. I gained a lot of knowledge and experience in a lot of areas and I successfully finished my secondary education and got another opportunity to pursue my dreams,” she recounted.
She completed her secondary education relatively smoothly and then decided she needed to move towards her goal of becoming a doctor. She remembers the day when she first knew she wanted to be in the medical profession.
“I recall as a very small child having an issue with my ear and I was taken to the Medic, because back then we just [had] Medics and no doctor in the village, and I was amazed by the variety of instruments that were there and I always wanted to use that.
“Upon completing my secondary education, I got another scholarship to study human medicine in Cuba. It was a very exciting experience for me because I had the challenge of achieving my goal and being able to continue my quest to serve the people,” Dr Smith said.
However, when she was in her 5th year of studying in Cuba, her father passed away. She was devastated but knew that she could not give up. She continued on and eventually graduated back in 2013 and returned home to serve.
“Since then I have been employed by the Ministry of Health at the West Demerara Regional Hospital. I’ve been working mainly in the General Surgery Department and the Obstetrics and Gynecology Department. I do [have] plans to specialising in General Surgery because it is what I love,” she noted.
During an interview with the Sunday Times Magazine, the young parliamentarian said she is ready to represent the interest of every Guyanese as well as addressing the needs of the young people, particularly in her Indigenous communities.
The young doctor entered the political arena back in 2015 when she met with some members of the Progressive Youth Organisation – the Youth Arm of the PPP/C. It was that initial meeting and her general observations of the plight of those around her that led her to register with the PYO.
At that time, the PYO was headed by now President Dr Irfaan Ali and she was encouraged to participate in the political groundwork. She never thought that she would one day become a politician and now she cannot see herself leaving the field – though she is still young in the game.
“I came into politics because I’ve seen so many persons suffering and so many people were afraid to speak out. I am a very blunt person and I must say that I speak my mind. I believe in free speech and I believe I can be a voice for the voiceless, for the hopeless, for the persons who are afraid to stand up against whatever adversity that comes their way.
“When I first started in 2015, we did a lot of groundwork around the country. We worked with our Chairman then, Dr Irfaan Ali. We visited many areas and we saw a lot of difficulties and the need for youth development in every area and not just youth development but development in every aspect of the lives of the Guyanese people and I took up that challenge to support that development,” the young politician explained.
Dr Smith’s aim is to position herself to make a difference in the lives of every Guyanese not only through her medical work but also through her political/humanitarian work. The young doctor has big plans, among which includes a heavy focus on youth development, for her stint in the National Assembly.
Her time in the public sector, particularly in the healthcare system, has exposed her to the inequities of the delivery of services in Guyana. That knowledge, coupled with her personal experiences in Indigenous communities, have further ignited her passion for equitable distribution of services throughout Guyana.
“During my time in the public sector I have seen many things and not only health-wise and dealing with well-being of patients but I have seen so many challenges – financial, mental struggles. I know what it is like especially working in the system for the past five years. It has been a challenging few years and I could have left like many have done but I held on because the health and well being of my fellow Guyanese is what is important to me,” she said.
She noted that the outlining of a clear vision and plan for development as well as addressing the issues plaguing society is what drew her to the PPP/C.
While she is preparing to occupy her seat in Parliament in a few days, the young mother is adamant that the position would not alter her passion and drive for the development of her people. She sees her ascension to the Legislature as one that would not be taken lightly.
She carries the pride of Warapana on her shoulders and does not intend to let them down. While she boasted about being able to make the perfect cassava bread and grow her own food as her ancestors did, Dr Smith does not lose sight of the plight of her people.
“I am truly humbled and honoured to be chosen by the People’s Progressive Party/Civic to represent my people and all Guyanese. I do look forward to doing my best in every aspect. I will continue to be a voice to my people… I always want to stand up for everyone and I believe that I am fully equipped with the experience, the braveness to be a voice for my fellow Guyanese who may be facing any difficulties.
“I will represent not only Indigenous peoples but everyone. In the Indigenous villages, some of the issues are that it is very hard on the financial side. There are families that are not financially equipped to send their children to schools for whatever reason and there are high school dropouts. We have to address that. Equal opportunities not only in education but in areas like sport and so because I strongly believe that every single Guyanese shouldn’t only excel academically,” Dr Smith said.
She has the plans so now that her Party is in the seat of power, she intends to have those implemented through the partnerships with the relevant Ministries.
Dr Smith said she is now getting started and encouraged Guyanese to hold their leaders accountable so that they can get the best of service every time.